Boom!
The Cavalry's lance pierced through the body of the White Dragon. The Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon was blown to dust by the Dark Cavalry's strike, dissolving into white light and an afterimage that slowly faded away.
[Kaiba, LP 200]
Kaiba closed his eyes gently.
"Do you understand now, Kaiba?" "Atem" asked from across the field. "This is the difference in power between us. Even if you tried a hundred or a thousand times, the result would never change."
"That's not it." Kaiba replied.
Atem frowned. "What?"
"That's not it." Kaiba muttered, almost to himself. "That guy… he wasn't like this."
Atem: "…"
In the next instant, at the very spot where the defeated Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon had stood, a dazzling radiance erupted. Like a blue beam shooting out from the underworld, a supremely beautiful dragon twisted its body, spread its wings, and soared, letting out a high-pitched, proud roar.
"When a Level 8 or higher monster on your field is destroyed, you can Special Summon this card from your hand."
Kaiba raised his head, his tone suddenly rising.
"Power of pure white, born from the source of endless time! Unfurl your wings, trembling in the resonance of intertwined souls—
Appear from the deep azure abyss——
DEEP-EYES WHITE DRAGON!!!"
[Deep-Eyes White Dragon, ATK 0]
"When Deep-Eyes White Dragon is summoned, both players take 600 points of damage for each Dragon-type monster in their graveyards.
I have eight dragons in my graveyard now. That's a total of 4800 damage."
Kaiba turned away in style, walking off with the coolness only a true man can muster—never looking back at the explosion.
"Vanish, phantoms."
Deep-Eyes White Dragon spread its magnificent wings. Brilliant light rained from above, like a barrage of dense cannon fire, swallowing Atem's figure.
"…"
A sweet, synthetic female voice echoed in the air: "Simulation complete. Thank you for your hard work, President Kaiba."
Mokuba rushed over, handing Kaiba a bottle of water. "Big brother!"
Kaiba took the bottle and drank. Mokuba grinned, "The development of the Dark Cavalry was a huge success! Another big step forward for the Dark Magician series. The press conference is going to be a hit again!"
Kaiba only responded with a flat "Mm."
Mokuba actually knew what his brother was thinking.
No matter how successful the development, how perfect the series became—so what?
The only person Kaiba thought worthy of wielding the power of the Dark Magician was long gone.
Sometimes, even Kaiba himself wasn't sure why he'd spent so many years laboring over the strengthening of Dark Magician decks.
That guy had been gone for ten years now. Even the vessel he once used was no longer active in the dueling world.
But KaibaCorp's information network was formidable; Kaiba occasionally got wind of news about Yugi. He knew that Yugi rarely dueled publicly now, almost hiding in the shadows, yet still traveled the world, seemingly keeping an eye on the next generation with special potential.
What did that mean?
Did he think his era was over, and decided to give the stage and opportunity to the next generation?
If so, Kaiba found it laughable.
He never thought of himself as old. Progress was his only creed. He always moved forward, by any means necessary. If there was no road ahead, he would carve one with his own hands.
Every opponent who had ever defeated him—eventually, he would surpass them with greater strength, proving himself fearless, unstoppable, always surpassing his former self.
"Big brother!"
Mokuba reminded him.
"You said to watch for when Kira would log into the Link System? He just got online!"
Kaiba grunted.
"Alright. Then let's get ready to log in, too."
He strode off toward his virtual duel laboratory.
Yes, he knew what Kira was up to now.
The Church of the Wicked Gods was clashing with Kira. The long-dormant Egyptian Tomb Keepers were stirring again, inviting Kira to Egypt—
Three Wicked Gods.
Kaiba had never met these three directly, but they were on his blacklist. It was one of the few defeats he'd ever suffered. Back then, the three manipulated Yako, took over KaibaCorp, and delivered Kaiba a crushing defeat in a duel.
Of course, all these years Kaiba had wanted revenge. But he knew that the later Yako was just an empty shell. Without the Wicked Gods, Yako was just a decent duelist—no point in beating him.
The real cause of Kaiba's defeat had been those three Wicked Gods. But later, Industrial Illusion declared the Wicked Gods destroyed and erased from the world, so Kaiba had no chance for payback.
But now, that chance had returned.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Link System.
"Whoa!"
Jaden's eyes sparkled.
"Is this the legendary Marik Ishtar, the duelist who wielded the Winged Dragon of Ra and fought Yugi Muto in the finals of Battle City?"
Marik was a little embarrassed by such enthusiasm. "That's all in the past..."
"And this is Miss Ishizu?" Jaden added excitedly. "I watched your duels too! I still remember the match where you forced President Kaiba to tribute his 'Obelisk the Tormentor' to summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Ishizu smiled gently and nodded.
Marik leaned in to Kira and whispered, "Um, Kira, who exactly is this kid?"
Kira replied, "He's a friend from Duel Academy. We've fought together in the Spirit Dimension several times."
Marik looked surprised.
Multiple trips to the Spirit Dimension? Was Duel Academy's curriculum always this cutting-edge?
Marik said, "But this mission is dangerous. This kid..."
"Don't worry, he's strong," Kira smiled. "I hadn't planned on inviting him, but since he's here, let's all go together."
Since Kira said so, Marik didn't argue, though he couldn't help but wonder. Duel Academy producing even one Duel King was a miracle; could this kid really be strong enough to face the Wicked Gods?
Kira looked at Jaden, as if sensing something. "Yubel?"
Yubel's spirit appeared behind Jaden, arms folded, glaring at Kira. "It's me. Thanks to you, I'm back with Jaden again."
"Glad to hear it," Kira smiled at Jaden. "Congratulations—you've saved your most important spirit."
Jaden said quietly, "I couldn't do it alone. The Supreme King… sacrificed himself willingly so I could gain the power to save Yubel."
Kira raised an eyebrow.
That was unexpected.
Jaden wanted to say more, but Kira noticed a new notification in the Link System. A friend he rarely saw online had just logged in—
Kaiba Seto, President of KaibaCorp?
…